Formerly classified Naval archive now available for public viewing

The Portuguese Navy’s Historical Archive, a significant documentary collection that reflects many important aspects of Portugal’s military history.

Researchers, journalists and students long have wanted unrestricted access to the archives but many of the records are sensitive and remain classified.

Aware of the interest in all matters naval, the Document Disqualification Commission (CDD) was created to identify and keep secret those record that remain sensitive while releasing information that can be used to fill in the gaps in historians’ knowledge while being open about Portugal military role in many conflicts, including the ‘little local difficulties’ in Africa.

The Commission began work in February 2017 and since then has analyzed about 1,300 linear meters of documentation. The result has been the declassification of a large number of documents offering a wealth of hitherto classified documents.

The Navy conformed that the new resource mostly is related to the Colonial War period and is available to the public at the Biblioteca Central de Marinha – Arquivo Histórico, located in Lisbon’s Cordoaria Nacional building.